142

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.
Cæs. I must be laugh’d at,
If, or for nothing, or a little, I
Should say myself offended; and with you
Chiefly i' the world: more laught at, that I should
Once name you derogately, when to sound
Your name it not concern'd me.
Ant. My being in Egypt, Cæfar, what was’t to

you?
Cæs. No more than my residing here at Rome
Might be to you in Ægypt: yet, if you there
Did practise on my state, your being in Egypt
Might be my question.

Ant. How intend you, practis’d ?

Caf. You may be pleas'd to catch at mine intent, By what did here befal. Your wife and brother Made wars upon me; and 5 their contestation

Was

5- -their contestation Was theam for you, you were the word of war.] The only meaning of this can be, that the war, which Antony's wife and brother made upon Cæsar, was theam for Antony too to make war; or was the occasion why he did make war. But this is directly contrary to the context, which thews, Antony did neither encourage them to it, nor second them in it. We cannot doubt then, but the poet wrote ;

-and beir conteftation

Was theam'd for you. i.e. The pretence of the war was on your account, they took up arms in your name, and you were made the theme and subject of their insurrection.

WARE. I am neither satisfied with the reading nor the emendation; theam'd is, I think, a word unauthorised, and very harsh. Per. haps we may read,

their contestation
Had theme from you, you were the word o'tl' war.
The dispute derived its subject from you. It may be corrected by
mere tranfpofition,

their contestation
You were theme for, you were the word. .JOHNS.

Was

Was theam for you, you were the word of war.

Ant. You do mistake your business; my brother

never

Did urge me in his act : I did inquire it,
And have my learning from some true reports?
That drew their swords with you. Did he not rather
Discredit my authority with yours;
And make the wars alike against my stomach,
* Having alike your cause? Of this, my letters
Before did satisfy you. If you'll patch a quarrel,
9 As matter whole you have not to make it with,
It must not be with this.

Ces. You praise yourself,
By laying defects of judgment to me; but
You patch'd up your excuses.

Ant. Not so, not so:
I know you could not lack, I am certain on't,
Very necessity of this thought, that I,

6

7

8

Was theam for you I believe means only, was proposed as an example for you to follow on a yet more extensive plan; as themes are given for a writer to dilate upon.

STEEVENS. my broiber never Did urge me in his a£t : -] i.e. never did make use of my name as a pretence for the war.

WARBURTON. true reports.] Reports for reporters. STEEVENS. Having alike your cauje?-] The meaning seems to be, hav. ing the same cause as you to be offended with me. But why, because he was offended with Antony, lhould he make war upon Cæfar? May it not be read thus,

-Did he not ratber
Diferedit my authority with yours,
And make the wars alike against my fomach,
Hating alike our cause ??

JOHNSON, . As marter whole you have not to make it with,] The original copy reads,

As matter whole you have to make it with. Without doubt erroneously; I therefore only observe it, that the reader may more readily admit the liberties which the editors of this authour's works have necessarily taken. JOHNSON.

Your

Your partner in the cause 'gainst which he fought,
Could not with grateful eyes attend those wars,
Which ''fronted mine own peace. As for my wife,
I would, you had her spirit in such another :
The third o' the world is yours, which with a snaffle
You may pace easy, but not such a wife.

Eno. 'Would, we had all such wives, that the men might go to wars with the women!

Ant. So much uncurbable, · her garboiles, Cæsar,
Made out of her impatience, (which not wanted
Shrewdness of policy too) I grieving grant,
Did you too much disquiet for that, you must
But say, I could not help it.

Cæf. I wrote to you,
When rioting in Alexandria, you
Did pocket up my letters ; and with taunts
Did gibe niy mljive out of audience.

Ant. Sir, he fell on me, ere admitted ; then
Three kings I had newly feasted, and did want
Of what I was i’ the morning : but, next day,
; I told him of myself; which was as much
As to have ask'd himn pardon. Let this fellow
Be nothing of our ftrife; if we contend,
Out of our question wipe him.

Cæf You have broken
The article of your oath; which you shall never

1

2

-fronted-) i. e. opposed.

JOHNSON . ber garb.iles) i.e. the disturbance she made. The word is used by Heywood, in the Rape of Lucrece, 1616.

" thou, Tarquin, doft alone survive

“ The head of all these garboiles." And by Stanyhurst, in his translation of the first four books of Virgil. 1982. Now manhood and gar boils I chaunt, and martial borror."

STEEVENS. 3. I told him of myfif;] i. e, told him the condition I was in, when he had his laft audience.

WARD.

Have tongue to charge me with.

Lep. Soft, Cæsar.

Ant. No, Lepidus, let him speak;
4 The honour's lacred which he talks on now,
Supposing that I lack'd it. But, on, Cæsar.
The article of my oath,

Caf. To lend me arms, and aid, when I requir’d

them ;

The which you both deny'd.

Ant. Neglected, rather ;
And then, when poison’d hours had bound me up
From mine own knowledge. As nearly as I may,
I'll play the penitent to you: but mine honefiy
Shall not make poor my greatness; nor my power
Work without it. Truth is, that Fulvia,
To have me out of Ægypt, made wars here;
For which myself, the ignorant motive, do
So far ask pardon, as befits mine honour
To stoop in such a case.

Lep. 'Tis nobly spoken.
Mec. If it might please you, to enforce no further
The griefs between you : to forget them quite
Were to remember that the present need
Speaks to atone you.

Lep. Worthily spoken, Mecænas.
Eng. Or, if you borrow one another's love for the
inftant, you may, when you hear no more words of
+ The honour', sacred-) Sacred, for unbroken, unviolated.

WARB. Dr. Warburton seems to understand this passage thus; The hokout which be talks of me as lacking, is unviolated, I never lacked it. This may perhaps be the true meaning, but before I read the note, I understood it thus : Lepidus interrupts Cæsar, on the supposition that what he is about to say will be too harsh to be endured by Antony; to which Antony replies, No, Lepidus, let bim speak, the security of honour on which he now speaks, on wbieb this conference is beld now, is sacred, even fupposing that I Jacked bonour before.

JOHNSON. VOL. VIII,

I.

Pompey,

Pompey, return it again. You shall have time to wrangle in, when you have nothing else to do.

Ant. Thou art a soldier only; speak no more.
Eno. That truth should be filent, I had almost

forgot.
Ant. You wrong this presence ; therefore speak no

more.
Eno. Go to thén: s your confiderate stone--

Caf. I do not much dilike the matter, but.
The manner of his speech: for it cannot be,
We shall remain in friendship, our conditions
So differing in their acts. Yet, if I knew
What hoop would hold us staunch, from edge to edge
O'the world, I would pursue it.

Agr. Give me leave, Cæsar.
Cæs. Speak, Agrippa.

Agr. Thou hast a filter by the mother's side,
Admir'd Octavia; great Mark Antony
Is now a widower.

Caf. Say not fo, Agrippa ;

your confiderate stone.-) This line is paffed by all the editors, as if they understood it, and believed it univerfally intelligible. I cannot find in it any very obvious, and hardly any possible meaning. I would therefore read,

Go to then, you considerate ones. You, who dislike my frankness and temerity of speech, and are so considerate and discreet, goto, do your own business. JOHNSON

I believe Go to then, your considerate fone means only this: If I must be chidden, henceforward I will be mute as a marble statut, which seems to think, though it can say nothing. STEEVENS.

o I do not much dislike the matter, but

The manner of bis Speech :-) I do not, says Cæsar, think the man wrong, but too free of his interposition ; for't cannot be, we shall remain in friendship: yet if it were possible, I would endeavour it.

Johnson.